Lost and Found
by hana-to-mame
Summary: After Jessica found out the truth about Mike, she fired him. No one heard from or saw him at all after that. But recently there have been Mike sightings, and Harvey goes on an expedition to witness this rare sight, and maybe make it more common. Slash.
1. The Return

**Lost and Found (a Suits fanfiction)**

**Rated: T**

**Pairings: Mike/Harvey**

**Summary: After Jessica found out the truth about Mike, she fired him. No one heard from or saw him at all after that. But recently there have been Mike sightings, and Harvey goes on an expedition to witness this rare sight, and maybe make it more common. Slash.**

Chapter 1 - The Return (Posted 30 December 2011)

As Mike entered the city limits, he couldn't help but feel both excited and dejected as he drove through the familiar streets, past the buildings he still had memorized inside and out. Even after being away for a year, he could have driven through this city with his eyes closed. It had nothing to do with his eidetic memory. It was because this place was his home, and even the streets he didn't know were filled with a calming aura that seemed to guide him right where he needed to go.

That's why he came back here. Because memorizing the layout and geography of his new home had been easy. But actually considering it his home and letting himself _feel_ the area? That was the hard part, the part that never happened, not even a little bit. So he came back here, because even though he'd wanted to escape his old life, he missed it.

He moved his things from the moving van to his new apartment. After everything was inside, he called someone to come take the truck back. He unpacked a few of his things, like his air mattress, sheets, and pajamas. He was so tired from the drive here and just wanted to sleep.

As he laid down and began to drift off to sleep, he couldn't help but think about the last time he'd been in New York.

X

_He was in Jessica's office, having been called in just a few moments ago. He could immediately sense the seriousness of the situation when he walked in, seeing Jessica's lips pressed into an indignant line in place of her usual professional smile._

_Harvey walked in not two seconds later, and Mike could see that he sensed it too. His normal confident attitude struck down to an obvious look of worry as he recognized Jessica's demeanor and locked eyes with Mike._

_In that moment, they had the same thought. She knew._

"_Gentlemen," Jessica greeted. She didn't offer them a seat, instead standing in front of her desk and crossing her arms. "It's been brought to my attention that someone in the firm has lied to me, and has been lying to me ever since. Now I've brought both of you here so you can help me figure out who it might be."_

_Harvey, gaining back his natural cockiness, rolled his eyes. "Jessica, whatever 'lie' you're talking about, we have nothing to do with it. How do you expect us to find this person?"_

"_That's the thing, Harvey." Jessica pointed to him. "I'm not sure if it was one person... or two."_

"_Well, maybe if you told us what it was, we could help you figure it out," Harvey offered smoothly._

_She squinted faintly at them. "Oh, I think you know what it was."_

_Harvey just put on a semi-thoughtful face and shook his head. Then she looked at Mike, as if waiting for the secret of life to come falling from between his lips. He glanced over at Harvey, but the man wasn't looking back at him. Mike knew why, of course, because it would look suspicious. But still, he'd been hoping for a little encouragement, some kind of hint as to what he should do or say._

_And time stood still for what felt like hours as Mike considered his decision. The possible consequences of sticking to his lie played out in his mind like a b-movie, followed by the outcome of coming clean. Neither seemed attractive to him, but he knew if he kept lying, there was a greater chance for Harvey's career to be in danger. At least if he told some of the truth now, he might be able to spare his boss._

_So he closed his eyes for a second before telling Jessica, "It was just one."_

_She widened her eyes slightly as if that was what she expected, nodding for him to continue. And out of the corner of his eye, Mike could see Harvey leering at him._

"_What are you talking about?" Harvey asked him._

"_I'm talking about me. I lied." Mike said. "I don't know how you found out, but I could tell as soon as I walked in here that this was it."_

"_Mike-" Harvey started, but stopped when he saw Mike send him a piercing glare._

"_I'm sorry. I lied to both of you."_

_Harvey's face became one of genuine surprise. Mike hoped Jessica saw it as him being surprised by Mike's lie. But he knew Harvey was surprised that he was just lying again._

_Mike continued. "Harvey, I never went to Harvard." was what he said. But he hoped Harvey could hear the underlying message. _I never should have taken this job. _"I never went to any law school, in fact." _But I'm glad I met you_. "I saw your interview," _And thought it was a great way to escape the police, _"and saw it as a way to escape my lie of a life." _I used you_. "But I just fell into another one," _and risked your career. _"I'm sorry. To both of you," he finally looked back at Jessica, "I fucked up, and I disrespected you, and I'm sorry."_

"_Don't do this, Mike..." Harvey said quietly._

"_Harvey, I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true." _I won't take you down with me_. "Your associate's a fraud. I tricked you, and Jessica, and the rest of the firm. And whatever punishment you see fit, I won't fight it."_

"_I'll be honest," Jessica started again, "you did a lot of good work for the firm. But that doesn't excuse you from what you've done."_

"_I know," Mike answered._

"_Also, we don't really want word of this spreading around, so we're not going to drag this out. If you're really as sorry as you say you are, you'll quietly and discreetly pack up your things, and never step foot inside this building again."_

_Mike nodded. "That's it?"_

_Jessica nodded. "That's it. If we press charges, it'll be all over the media. I'd rather keep it all under wraps so it doesn't damage our image."_

"_I understand. If there's anything else...?"_

"_No," she said simply, "you have the rest of the day to tie up any loose ends, and then I want you out, Mr. Ross."_

_Mike just nodded shallowly again and left the office. He prayed to every god he could think of that Harvey didn't tell her the truth. Or that she didn't believe him if he did. As he made his way back to his cubicle, he wondered how Jessica found out. His story checked, so she must have gotten a tip. And there were only a handful of people in the whole world who knew his secret._

_As he ran down the list in his head, he had his answer in less than a second. Trevor. He had no doubt it was him, his oldest friend, who he abandoned and pissed off. Considering this, it was a wonder that Jessica hadn't found out sooner._

_But even now that he'd discovered his prime suspect, there was nothing he could do about it. So while he walked through the sea of associates back to his cubicle, he considered himself lucky at having had the chance to live his dream, even if only for a short while._

_He sat at his tiny desk, catching himself once in a while as he actually thought about how much he'll miss it. How hard it was going to be not to constantly be walking back and forth between here and Harvey's office._

_There was only a small amount of work to be done, as they had just closed a few cases and Harvey was still in the process of prepping for new ones. Mike finished whatever tasks he had on his desk, wondering if he should leave them here or deliver them to Harvey._

_As much as he would have liked to slip out without talking to anyone, he knew he had to take Harvey's files back to him. So he took his time as he walked to his boss's office one last time._

_He walked up to Donna, who gave him an odd look but waved him in without a word._

"_Here," he said, holding out the stacks of papers and files he hand in his hands._

_Harvey took them and set them in the middle of his desk before looking into Mike's eyes, as if trying to find the reason behind all of this. He mustn't have found it, because he still had to ask, "Why?"_

"_Because you don't deserve to have your career ruined over me."_

_Harvey stood. "It was my decision to hire you. I knew what I was getting into."_

"_And you think I didn't? In the beginning, I was willing to threaten to tell in order to keep this job. But that changed when I realized that if I tell, not only will I be right back where I started, but I'll also be ruining another person's life. And I just can't do that. You went out on a limb for me, why should you be punished for trying to help someone?"_

"_Why should you be punished for trying to have a better life?"_

"_Because I lied."_

"_We both lied."_

_Mike shook his head out of frustration. "What would have happened if you had told her you were in on it? You would have lost everything, Harvey. Not just your job, but your life. Your reputation. Everything. Over me. Do you really care about me that much?"_

_Harvey didn't say anything._

"_See?" Mike asked. "Whether it's right or wrong, telling her the truth would mean that you don't want to let me go down alone. And even though to this day you're still trying to make me think you don't care, I know you do. I'm not asking you to admit it to me. I'm not even asking you to admit it to yourself. But I'm telling whatever part of you that does care about me, to show me. And you can do that by not telling Jessica you had anything to do with this. I don't want to see you in that kind of position. I want you to keep your job, and continue to be the best damn closer in the city, because otherwise I will always regret my decision to take this job."_

"_And you don't regret it now?"_

_Mike shook his head. "No."_

"_What are you going to do?"_

"_What I've always planned on doing if I got caught. I'm gonna leave."_

"_And go where?"_

"_Does it matter? It's not like anyone here is going to want to come visit me."_

_Again, Harvey stayed silent._

"_So I guess I'm going to get going," Mike said, making his way to the door._

"_You're not even going to say 'goodbye'?" Harvey surprised him by saying._

"_I didn't think you'd want me to."_

"_I don't. Because that would mean that you're really leaving, and that I don't have an associate anymore."_

_Mike nodded, figuring it to be a very Harvey-like thing to say. But he knew what he meant. "If it helps you understand that this is how it is, goodbye, Harvey." He didn't wait to see if Harvey replied. And he didn't stop to talk to Donna. He knew she knew what had happened, so he didn't need to explain himself. And he really had nothing to say to her. He didn't even go by Rachel's office._

_He left the building, immediately heading back to his apartment and packing his things._

X

But now he was back. He had to admit, underneath the fear and nervousness of returning, he was glad to be back. He briefly wondered if anyone had looked for him, if even one person noticed he was missing and wondered what happened. But all thoughts were gone as he was enveloped in a deep sleep.


	2. Spotted

Chapter 2 - Spotted (Posted 12 January 2012)

Donna was on her way to work, glad it was finally Friday. This wasn't an efficient use of time, sitting in a car wishing the light would just turn green already, but there wasn't really another choice. She didn't normally take this road, but her normal route had been blocked off by an accident and this was the best detour. It wasn't the safest area, but she wasn't afraid. If anyone tried to mess with her, well, she was prepared.

What she wasn't prepared for was the blond biker who zoomed by her. She thought maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but there was only one person she knew who wore a helmet as his only gear on a bike in this city. Of course, that person hadn't been in the city since he left last year, but that didn't stop her from taking another yet unnecessary detour so she could follow him.

She had plenty of time before she had to be at work, not that she could give up this hunt in any case. She followed him easily, ducking her head slightly when he glanced her way. Not that she didn't want him to see her, per se, she just wasn't sure if he was ready to. And she didn't want him to think she was trying to catch him, really she just wanted to prove to herself that it was him.

There was no doubt in her mind though when she watched him pull up to a less than perfect apartment building. A step up from the one he'd had before, but not really a great improvement.

As she drove away, she found she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him. She didn't wonder why he was back, but she did catch herself questioning his detached demeanor. It had been amusing to watch him talk about getting lost in his comfortable joy as he glided around the city on his bicycle, but this was different. It was obvious this was a different kind of joy ride; his only escape rather than a vacation.

It was difficult for her not to think about him all day. She was thankful Harvey was mostly out of the office, because otherwise he would know something was wrong. And no matter how persuasive that man could be, she would not tell him what she saw. Not yet, anyway.

X

Rachel got up one morning, going through her usual Saturday routine. Eat breakfast, take a shower, dress comfortably. Her next task was to do her grocery shopping. Her supplies weren't really running low, but she liked to be sure she had everything she needed.

She went to the grocery store expecting to simply find everything on her list, plus a few impulse buys she'd budgeted for, without anything causing her to deviate from her pattern.

That expectation was gone as soon as she stepped inside and caught sight of a scruffy-haired man. His build was slim, almost to the point of being feminine, and he was bent over scanning the shelf of ramen noodles.

At first she thought she recognized him. An image of a friend who'd disappeared popped into her head and she compared it to the man in front of her. They weren't just similar, even from behind he looked exactly like him. But it couldn't be. He'd left over a year ago, and nobody had heard anything from him since. She knew it was stupid to hope it was him.

Still, she couldn't simply leave without investigating. If there was a chance it was him, she wasn't going to risk letting him slip away again. That, and if it really was him, she knew Harvey would be interested to know.

Careful not to let him see her, she tip-toed around him and tried to get a better look at his face. She stepped to his side, peeking over her shoulder as he inspected an item. She forced herself to suppress a gasp as she confirmed her suspicions. But her surprise was less at actually seeing him and more at seeing how much he'd changed.

His once boyish face had grown harder, wearing a serious look as if he was constantly struggling to focus on what was going on in front of him instead of the mess of other thoughts racing through his brilliant mind. The pink lips that used to be unashamedly pouty had become thinner and were pressed into a hard line. Eyes that had previously lit up a room as they drifted around and took everything in were now dim and unmoving. His stance was still slouched and unpracticed, but it was stiff and cold instead of loose and friendly.

She took a few small steps away from him as she turned her face forward, unable to look at him for even a second more. This person was no longer the bright and immature boy she called a friend, and suddenly she regretted ever thinking he needed to grow up.

X

Jessica liked to spend her Sunday afternoons at the park. Most people saw her as the kind of person who liked to stay inside classy shoppes outside of work, but the fact was she enjoyed sitting outdoors. And the park was a great place to go.

Families were scattered about, playing games or having picnics. She recognized some of them, not as acquaintances, but simply as regulars. But of course there were always some tourists trying to look like they belonged there.

One person, however, she knew right away. He was sitting in the grass, bent over a thick book, earbud wires dangling from his ears. She shook her head in disbelief. How long had he been back? Did anyone know? Did he want anyone to know?

He was sitting right there, just a few feet away from where she sat on her favorite bench. Out in public. He couldn't be that concerned with who saw him. Maybe he was just hoping no one would recognize or even remember him. Or maybe he was just putting himself out there, waiting for anyone who would to approach him.

She took a breath. Of course she knew the perfect person for the job. The one who'd been silently but oh so obviously awaiting his return. She couldn't hide this from Harvey.

X

Monday morning, Harvey walked into his office as he would any other day. Donna greeted him sweetly. His usual stack of files was set neatly on his desk. And he was all alone.

Just the way he liked it, if anyone asked him. But if he was being honest with himself, it still felt strange to be on his own. Sure, he worked alone before he was forced to hire an associate, but it was different now. Even with the sea of other associates to pawn his work onto, it wasn't quite the same.

None of them had the same enthusiasm his had. They didn't have the memory or the ability or the determination he was used to. And they weren't his.

Not a morning went by that he didn't contemplate that. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone. It was hard enough to admit it to himself, but it was true. His goal every night was that he would wake up the next day and go a full twenty four hours without thinking about him. A goal he hasn't reached once in the year since he's been gone.

He looked up from the papers on his desk to see Donna quietly conversing with Rachel and Jessica. They were nodding discreetly, their lips barely moving as they occasionally shot a glance his way.

When they all seemed to make eye contact with him at once, he scowled and looked back down at whatever was in his hands. Some file on some case he has no interest in, but would do his best to figure out and probably win anyway because it was his job and he loved his job. Or he used to, anyway.

The next time he looked up, the three women were in his office, staring down at him with apprehensive looks. They were all the best in their business, able to hold a poker face almost as well as he could, so he was a bit worried at their expressions. He could tell they had something important to say to him. But he didn't know just how important.


End file.
